Riviera 5400 SY: Review

In this first Australian review of the new 5400 Sport Yacht we find a smart Riviera that embraces everything that is identifiable with the brand these days. There’s the Volvo Penta synergy from pod drives to joysticks, a Glass Cockpit navigational centre, C-Zone digital switching, more in-built standard amenities, greater comforts and plush accommodation, a very tight fit and finish, snazzy styling, and a smooth ride and drive.

OVERVIEW
- First Australian test of Riviera’s global Sport Yacht
Riviera’s new 5400 Sport Yacht (SY) was launched in America, months before we could get our hands on the wheel and joysticks. The boat was photographed flying the Stars and Stripes banner during a photo shoot in the Bahamas. I guess we shouldn’t feel left out, as 55 per cent of Riviera’s production is exported these days.

When foreign orders were roaring along pre-GFC, the Gold Coast yard premiered its popular 40 Flybridge with ‘Millennium Styling’ in the US. This new 5400 SY marks another important epoch in Riviera time. Rather than rest on its laurels, our biggest luxury boatbuilder is leading from the front foot with its progressive and energised business driven by owner Rodney Longhurst (51).

Riviera has now built more than 500 pod-driven boats since 2008 covering Flybridge, Sport Yacht, SUV, Belize and Offshore Express models. The smallest is the 3600 Sport Yacht and the largest is the 6000 Sport Yacht. There has been enough water under their bridges and helm stations for Riviera to be considered a world expert in pod-driven cruisers.

With production lifting to almost 100 boats this financial year from 70-odd last year, and with $90 million in forward orders which is almost double the same time last year, the market has spoken. We were told 30 orders were taken for this new 5400 SY before we set foot aboard and 12 of the boats were pre-sold prior to its release at the Miami boat show in February.

The Riviera 5400 SY was making its Australian debut at the Riviera Festival alongside the Gold Coast International Marine Expo in Coomera from May 19-22.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Setting new standards for the brand
With a base price of $1.575 million with Volvo Penta 626hp IPS 800s, the 5400 SY comes with high expectations. The standard build list ticks a lot of boxes and you get way more standard kit than we have seen before.

The boat is virtually a turn-key luxury Sport Yacht to go with everything from double barbecue and icemaker, forward sunpad with backrests and bimini top, to a loaded aft galley with Miele oven, wine fridge, premium AV system, Volvo Penta IPS drive and full Glass Cockpit centre with joysticks, the list does go on.

Our test rig had a bit more sport in the yacht thanks to the upgraded 725hp IPS 950s that cost a $54k premium. With the IPS2 drives on either of these D11 engines you get a pod-boat that takes command of your cruise (see accompanying video as we powered offshore).

In the upgrade department, besides the bigger engines, our Riviera 5400 SY #2 — for “Owner: Longhurst” on the spec sheet — included the stunning metallic Mercedes Aqua Marine hull colour, integrated high-pressure wash, IPAD C-Zone connectivity and Wi-Fi interface, side cockpit clear curtains, electric blinds, dual fuel filters, engine room camera, underwater lights and bathware.

Not much more than a tender was needed in the garage and you were right to go for $1,697,218 as tested. But the really impressive bit is how Riviera rolled all this kit into a very pretty package. This is the synergistic 5400 Sport Yacht we found with tremendous design integration.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Lifting the lifestyle factor with onboard entertaining
The standard extended 350kg hydraulic platform with rear stainless steel corner rails boosts safety at the waterfront, provides an easy launch pad, and helps contain a kayak or SUP (or jet ski on chocks) between anchorages. The boat’s garage also facilitates quick dispatch and retrieval of tender and watertoys.

There is no big Euro-style aft sunpad swallowing up precious cockpit space as we find on overseas Sport Yachts, but a practical inbuilt transom lounge atop the garage instead. The aft facing seating and table under the awning is the al fresco lunch spot. An all-weather outdoor galley under the rear awning with sunroof features twin barbecues, fridge, icemaker and sink. Together, these things make the cockpit a real entertaining hub.

Walkaround decks lead to the foredeck sunpad, which is on tracks so it doesn’t launch when cruising. With backrests and a fantastic pull-up bimini for shade, and a separate zoned sound system with triple speakers, this creates another fantastic lifestyle area. Carefully placed drink-holders, curved deck mouldings, and large grab rails add to the thoughtful deck design.

Meantime, opening saloon doors and a hopper window integrate the cockpit with the galley, making it even less of a transition to waltz indoors. Increased glass and a massive sunroof are features in the open-plan saloon. The walnut joinery is on-trend, while electric blinds will help reduce fading. Air-con doubles as a demister on the windscreen.

With a Miele combi oven/grill, two-burner electric hob, drawer fridges, wet bar with wine fridge, and premium leather lounges, the 5400 SY is a loaded boat. The breakfast bar stools fronting the stone galley counter and the large L-shaped co-pilot and guest lounge alongside the helm are seating highlights.

The car-like helm, with auto-inspired dash and electric Recaro seat adjustable every which way, is on the centreline for a commanding drive. This is a benefit of the all-new Sport Yacht design over an SUV based on a reworked flybridge model with offset helm.

Accommodation revolves around a popular three-cabin and two-bathroom layout seen here or an optional two cabin layout with lower saloon. The third cabin to port has bunks but also a surprising degree of floor space thanks to the hull flare. The VIP is forward with island queen bed sharing the communal bathroom with American-sized shower and a new upmarket hotel-like finish. Every cabin and head has a hatch for fresh air.

Owners receive the full-beam stateroom treatment, with headroom either side of a king bed flanked by a built-in chest of drawers to port and an especially long chaise lounge opposite. The hull windows and opening portlights add to the sense of connectivity, while storage extends to cedar-line hanging lockers.

With the generator located off the bulkhead, there was just a murmur when we checked at anchor off Currigee. The private en suite has an opening portlight for fresh air and another nice big shower.

Together, the 5400 SY sleeps six and swallows a family very comfortably in standard guise. But we’d add the convertible saloon lounge option to create a daybed before the main TV and extend the sleeping capabilities at holiday time. Otherwise, there’s not much left wanting but perhaps a watermaker.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- New levels of integration with Volvo backing
The 5400 SY hull is completely new from the keel up, but it has evolved from the development and tank testing of the Belize 54, Riviera 52 and 525, where “some very positive performance and improvements were found on these pod-driven hulls.”

Riviera CEO, and the hull designer, Wes Moxey says: “On an IPS pod-driven boat, we design the transom deadrise between 12 to 15 degrees depending on the vessel and its size and purpose. Then, going forward, the bottom shape is developed into a very fine entry.

“Today all new Riviera and Belize products have a solid keel to give the boat a backbone and better sea keeping ability. The chines are slightly wider and slightly downturn to keep the boats dry and give precise handling. The running strakes follow the same principles of the chines and greatly improve the ride and dryness forward,” explains Moxey.

The layup is time-proven handlaid GRP with cored decks giving a dry weight of 21,700kg, which isn’t too heavy given all the gear. The water capacity of 800lt (and 400lt holding tank) will more than suffice for big-city boating applications, so perhaps a watermaker isn’t needed.

Prop-to-wheel-nut Volvo Penta warranties cover the engine, drive train, pods, jackshafts, twin joysticks, integrated Glass Cockpit navigation, engine monitoring system, the Dynamic Positioning System, Anti-Corrosion Protection, Autopilot, and the line-cutters fitted to both drives. There is an optional Auto-Trim system, but you should learn to trim your boat. Perhaps it would be good in a share-boat situation.

Riviera has increased the power-generation side of its boats with all this gear, using additional alternators, Mastervolt chargers and inverters, lots of maintenance-free batteries, and LED lighting throughout. The C-Zone monitoring will let you know if there’s an issue, low voltage, low water or fuel. The 3000lt fuel capacity in GRP tanks with sight gauges gives a range of about 300nm, which suits this boat’s likely use.

There’s a lot of space in the engine room. We managed jumped around all sides of the six-cylinder engines, noted the clear sea strainers that were easy to service, the upgraded twin Racor filters nearby, while blowers and membranes keep the air up and salt away. The jackshafts mean the engines are actually quite far forward to assist balance.

Oil dipsticks weren’t paired for some reason — a trifling matter — but the fit and finish and overall impression is one of a handbuilt luxury Sport Yacht rather than a high-volume price-driven production boat. There weren’t self-tapers and cheap fixings all over the joint. Plumbing and wiring is coded and neat and tidy for the most part.

ON THE WATER
- Sweet drive and smooth cruise
There's a lot of static, at-anchor and champagne cruising appeal here. You won’t be lost for a seat, views or a cold drink. Freeboard is good at displacement speeds and the reverse sheer in the foredeck ensures clear vision. Crew will find this an easy boat to get around, too.

Advance the throttles and the 5400 SY doesn’t wallow. It slips up to planing speeds without much bow rise at all (see the video of the transition from the helm as I drive). At 23 knots cruise at around 2100rpm, I recorded 180lt/hr or about 7.6lt/nm. The official figures have us cruising at 24 knots at these revs for a 350nm range. That seems spot on.

But this is a sporty boat with the IPS-950s giving great mid-range acceleration. I zoomed up to 28-29 knots fast cruise at 2300rpm, using 7.79lt/nm for a range of 347nm on the sea-trial sheet. So it doesn’t cost you much more to go fast. Thus, conditions will dictate your cruise speeds. Top speed is stated as 34.5 knots at 2570rpm. Sporty indeed.

The IPS-950s give a very quiet and smooth cruise, while the Glass Cockpit navigation and engine monitoring system, with twin 17in Garmin screens and a separate 8in MFD for the engines, adds to the sophistication. There’s also the Dynamic Positioning System with GPS station holding function and a smart Autopilot that’s intuitive.

One derives a lot of driving pleasure in the Recaro seat looking out through the big windscreen. The user-friendly boating experience extends to the joystick docking, even though they make quite a bit of commotion. Offshore, the 5400 SY was surprisingly dry and it pushed through the messy one-metre seas with reassuring determination.

VERDICT

Besides a few light switches being moved a few inches, there wasn’t anything significant to switch, we’re told. But it is from of all these layers of input, heritage, energy, enthusiasm, consideration and practical use that the 5400 SY was born.

This smart new Sport Yacht is testimony to Riviera’s desire to evolve as a luxury global boat builder. Here is a Riviera that offers a lot of driving pleasure and refinement. Thanks to the design and engineering integration, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's a synergistic with the Volvo Penta keel to wheel systems.

The superyacht-like radar arch with wings, raked entry and go-fast lines give a more youthful look than the 5000 SY (nee 4700 SY) that this boat supplants. These two models accounted for 156 sales between them, so expect to see the dashing new 5400 SY on your local waterway soon.

This is a very nicely proportioned owner/driver boat and Riviera’s most sophisticated Sport Yacht ever.

LIKES
>> The latest engineering and technology from Volvo Penta
>> Terrific integration, flow and design throughout
>> Great driving pleasure and performance
>> Well-proportioned Sport Yacht with sharper styling lines
>> Impressive cockpit amenities centre and foredeck sunpad zone
>> Smart looks and the latest smart systems

NOT SO MUCH
>> Swim platform rail flicking spray aboard at certain transitional speeds
>> Why can’t we have both oil dipsticks on the centreline, ie, paired engines
>> On a personal note, we’d tick the saloon bed option ever time

Specifications: Riviera 5400 SY
Price as Tested: $1,697,218 with IPS-950s, metallic Mercedes Aqua Marine hull colour, integrated high-pressure wash, IPAD C-Zone connectivity and Wi-Fi interface, side cockpit clear curtains, electric blinds, dual fuel filters, engine room camera, underwater lights, bathware and more.
Priced From: $1.575 million with IPS-800s
LOA: 17.29m including swim platform and bow roller
Hull Length ISO8666: 15.93m
Beam: 4.88m
Draft: 1.28m (max)
Weight: Around 21,700kg (dry w/standard engines)
Sleeping: 6+2
Fuel Capacity: 3000 litres
Water Capacity: 800 litres
Holding tanks: 400 litres
Engines: Twin 725hp D11 Volvo Penta IPS 950s, turbo-charged, fully electronic, six-cylinder common rail diesel engines with IPS2 pod drives

Supplied by:
The Riviera Group,
50 Waterway Drive
Coomera, Qld, 4209
Phone (07) 5502 5555
See www.riviera.com.au.